


Over the Years

by starspawnedwarlock



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21944809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starspawnedwarlock/pseuds/starspawnedwarlock
Summary: Merry Christmas Harlot
Relationships: Ghastly Bespoke & Skulduggery Pleasant
Kudos: 11





	Over the Years

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas Harlot

Skulduggery held a hand out to the small fire in front of him, spreading his fingers slightly, and watching the flame grow to engulf the extra firewood Ghastly had added. He wasn't particularly bothered by the northern cold, bones having little receptiveness to nocturnal chill, but it seemed Ghastly was, as much as he tried to contain his shivers. He was more than likely regretting his neglect to bring a coat.

The skeleton watched Ghastly return to the tree stump he had been using as a seat, rubbing his hands together and holding them out the newly replenished flames. He looked uneasy, Skulduggery would say. 

He couldn't blame him, honestly. The last few months had been a shitshow, putting it bluntly. Ambushes gone wrong, innocents torched, cut down and... much worse. Serpine must have had plenty of fun in the last village, he reckoned, clenching his jaw tight, unnoticeably to Ghastly.

He had lost a friend in that last attack. He had given one last valiant stand against Serpine, and they found him curled up, a tortured scream on his face, frozen in death. Ghastly had lifted him away to be buried, not saying anything, as Skulduggery felt that thing twitch inside him again, as it added another mark, another sin for the zealot to repent for.   
He caught and almost chided himself. Repentance? Said as if he was a saint. Laughable.

And now they were here, tracking the sadistic monster further into the north of Europe, and things were still getting colder, darker, and just generally worse. He hadn't even spoken to Ghastly since two days prior; both of them too caught up in the war-rusted machinations in their heads.

They had been alone together for about a month now, since the other Dead Men departed to deal with another nuisance that had cropped up. Ghastly and Skul were elected to continue following Serpine's trace. Well... Skul had volunteered to do it alone, but he wasn't trusted to just follow and not attack without waiting for backup, so Ghastly was made to stay with him. Skulduggery wasn't going to lie and say it wasn't true.

Looking up to his partner, Skulduggery wondered what was going through his head. Was it any brighter than was lingered in his? Perhaps Ghastly preferred to dwell on fond memories in dark times. Maybe that was the better thing to do.

He brought his gaze back to the fire, trying to think up some memories that felt good to think about...

...

Yeah. That's what he thought.

He shook his head in exasperation, and prepared to go to sleep, before Ghastly broke the two days long silence.

"I think we're about getting into the more Mevolent infested lands now."

Skulduggery nodded after a moment. "Yeah, I would say so."

"We best keep our guard up." Ghastly wasn't looking at him as he spoke, his eyes locked on the fire.

"Sleep in shifts?" The skeleton suggested.

"That seems the best plan." 

Skulduggery nodded, waiting for Ghastly to go to sleep so he could take first watch. After a few seconds Ghastly looked up to him, apparently expecting the opposite.

"I'm afraid there is little chance of me sleeping tonight, Ghast."

"Me neither."

Skulduggery scratched under his socket with a single bony finger. "I suppose this presents a problem."

"I'd say it does."

Skulduggery turned his head over to face Ghastly. They stared at each other for a moment. Ghastly's eyebrows went down just a bit, making his scarred face even more sinister. 

"I wouldn't advise that Ghastly. There are many ways to make a man tired, but... not that one."

"Why?" Ghastly stood up. He cracked his neck. "Afraid I'll beat you."

Skulduggery felt that thing shiver. He looked up to his partner. "In all honestly Ghastly you most definitely will."

Ghastly rolled back his shoulders. "A lack of fighting spirit from you? Surely not."

Skulduggery shook his head for a moment. "Screw it. One training fight."

The skeleton arose, and followed Ghastly, who looked satisfied, over to a clearing in the massive coniferous forest they were in. The tailor cracked his knuckles and turned to Skulduggery. 

"Let's try to keep it a bit clean, shall we?"

"I'll try." He teased, tossing aside his coat and raising his hands.

Ghastly raised his fingers to click, and with a snap, a flash of fire, and they both advanced forward.

There was a blur on Skul's left as Ghastly sent the first jab. He block it with his arm, and raised his right arm to knock up the opposite hook Ghastly sent his way. He barely managed to get the arm up, and drove a knee up into Ghastly's chest, but found it pushed away by Ghastly's right hand, before the boxer drove a hard elbow into Skulduggery's ribcage, sending him stumbling back. 

The two barely spent a moment apart before they both stepped forward. Skulduggery immediately jabbed with his right, but found it blocked, before Ghastly's cross slammed into his jaw. Skul was forced back, but managed to bring his left leg up, swinging it round so the tip of his shoe was thrust into Ghastly's side.

They didn't even pause before throwing themselves back into the fray, Skulduggery ducking under Ghastly's left hook do deliver an uppercut to his stomach, but didn't get away in time to avoid a left hook into the side of his skull. He recovered quickly and lashed out with a cross of his own, narrowly missing Ghastly's face. He jabbed out with his left, and followed up with a right hook, but found both blocked. He dodged a right jab of Ghastly's, but was caught with a lower hook in the torso.

Skulduggery stepped back, a hand instinctively holding itself to his side. He stared up at Ghastly, feeling the thing writhing inside him. He clenched his fists. Ghastly raised himself from his combat stance just a bit, and cast an inquisitive eye at Skulduggery's feet. The skeleton glanced down, and saw the fallen needles from the pine trees swirling around his feet, as two weak vortexes of wind started around them. They lessened a bit as he stared at them, before going completely.

"So is that why you didn't want to fight?" Ghastly asked, tilting his head. "Scared you wouldn't be able to hold back?"

Skulduggery looked away.

"Is that what you've come to, Skul?" Ghastly sounded bitter. "Little more than a collared animal."

The thing twitched. Then spasmed.

"Are you a goddamn animal?" 

It snapped.

Skulduggery shot forward, propelled by wind, trying to land a punch directly to Ghastly's face, but was blocked, as the tailor moved with near inhuman speed. He reached out, grabbing the skeleton's arm, and pulled him into a hard right hook, the knuckles smashing against his skull. Skulduggery was flipped with the force of the punch, and momentarily dazed.

By the time he hit the ground he was back, and tried to sweep Ghastly's legs out from under him, but the boxer jumped in time. Using his already extended leg to balance him as he moved, Skul shot forward, a near roar coming from between his jaws, landing a hard right cross directly into Ghastly's abdomen, before he swung a hook hard into his side, hitting the arm that came down to block.

He was hit across the head again by a hook, and stumbled to the side. He raised his hand as he saw Ghastly swinging for an strong uppercut, and flexed his fingers. The boxer gasped as a ripple of air sent his arm back. It would have snapped at the elbow had he not followed along, swinging at a speed aided by the air, bringing his hand around for a spinning backfist.

Skulduggery's world was sent spinning as Ghastly's knuckles smacked into his head. He was lifted off his feet from the force of the blow, landing a few feet away, and swayed as he tried to stand.

He looked up to see Ghastly staring at him with utter contempt. He didn't need to say anything. Instead he just spat on the ground.

The thing inside Skulduggery exploded, and before he knew it he was throwing a fireball right at his best friend. 

It was a laughably bad throw, and Ghastly only had to step to the side to avoid it. He looked at Skulduggery, who only looked back for a second, before falling down to one knee. He didn't move, instead just staring at the ground, a whirlwinds of shame, sadness and anger churning inside him.

He didn't see Ghastly as he approached, nor did he hear him, to caught up in his own head. But he felt a hand over his shoulder, then a squeeze.

"Keep it together Skulduggery. Hold yourself together. It won't be long now."

Then Ghastly was gone, walking back to the fireplace. Skulduggery didn't say anything to him that night, as he fell asleep where he kneeled.

In the morning, Skulduggery was the first to wish Ghastly a good morning.


End file.
